Tag Archives: work

Nothing is what it appears to be. This perhaps is the mystery of life. Some days it would appear that everything clicks, paint flows nicely, brushes do what they are supposed to do, and coffee is delicious with milk and honey. Other days it is as if the polarity of earth switched 180. Gravity seems heavier, things that are simple tasks turn into arduous treks up a mountain during a winter storm. Still it is the layers that I must go through to get to that place where I am free to create and see the bigger picture. This is not via talent, it is through hard work. I get up, I drink water, I eat, I draw, I write, I work. It seems like such a simple thing doesn’t it? Well I am not so sure about that, all those things I listed are some precious gifts that allow me to do the things love to do. I think we live in a society that has lost sight of where we even get simple things like water, coffee, it’s just expected and even demanded, “where’s my latte!?”….but I digress. So where’s wa Si oh right, the nature of my work is not the normal 9-5 day office shuffle, it’s much different than that. It starts as soon as I awake, and it goes until I am exhausted, however still mentally driven. This is something I have had to work on, as sleep is a good thing. A few things I have tried are yoga, meditation and walking. All three are great and I can clear my mind if only temporarily. I have always wanted someone to design a food pill, so I could just keep going, and then I learned the art of cooking and realized that is just plain crazy talk. I now make time to cook and bake and eat. They too can be artful, and I art the living shit out of them. Now I do know what it’s like to work on art and not take care of myself, it is the quintessential a double edged sword. One blade is the creative magic. This occurs during what I call marathon paint sesshins, when I go a day or more straight art, minimal breaks and minimal sleep. However, and yes there’s always a down side withth upside, the journey is a relatively difficult and completely taxing on the mind and body, however I will not say spirit. And this is am important point, because in my case when the physical and the mental breakdown, my spirit has never disappeared. It has grown weary however quite capable of carrying the load. I have faltered a few times, has been in the area of relationships with partners, which is a whole other blog, probably not even worth the time, let’s say it’s also a mystery and I am working on the case. When my spirit wanes I know it’s time to go to the ocean, or the mountains, or spend time in nature. Life has been an interesting experience for me, I have no shortage of memories, and I am no stranger to lovers, oh those moments of bliss. These are distractions.

miniMotion
‘inner spirit’ 🎥 new hälts minimotion special edition sick as f☕️🤒k edition with soundscape ‘slowly know’ featuring an intimate behind the scenes look into the making of my latest watercolour, when the brush hits I am in that place that you only know about if you have been there, than you know (I will say it is a very peaceful place where time slows down)

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fotoMahaloness
Slices of the work pie.

idea generator and power nap facilitator zone

the studio featuring inner spirit watercolour WIP in the middle.

the current stage of my 3-D wolf paint WIP

hälts hybrid art ‘moment of solitude’

my grandfathers palette knife has seen many marks, what a wonderful tool, it has taught me the soft touch.

I went to the mountains recently for some film work, my other passion, and found myself amidst the wild ones. In this case a juvenile moose presumably wondering what we were doing in his home. I try to imagine this animal watching us, observing the director and the DOP, wondering why the AD is always calling action and cut, and why these humans are moving around lights and bounces. The mountain air is always fresh unless of course there is forest fires, thankfully this time of year most of the fires have gone out. I am fortunate to work in this space fairly regularly either on a mountain top or in its valleys. I have come to realize the importance of stepping outside the studio so as to get some fresh perspective. Whether it is for work or pleasure being in the mountains raises my stoke and gives me strength. I also learn to appreciate life more, and not take any of it for granted, it is truly a gift to be here. Slowly and patiently, I am getting my magnificence back, each breath, each step, that much closer. There is beauty everywhere, you just have to look for it, and when you find it a lightness and a sense of belonging prevails.

Presently, I am back in the studio and thinking of an animal painting to make. I am torn between a bear and a moose, and I have tiger on the mind, funny enough. Perhaps all three in one… at any rate running into a moose was a good sign. So now please enjoy my images and minimotion, sharing some of the magic of the good ol Rocky Mountains.

hälts minimotion

‘moose’ with soundscape ‘where the wild ones roam’ featuring some scenes from a recent film job I was on.

​​fotoMahaloness

moments of bliss

onwards…back to the studio

Its been high activity in the studio, working on my newest painting ‘sacred place’ which received some decent inspiration from my mountain time, priceless, thank you Earth.

hälts hybrid art featuring a detail from ‘sacred place’

faded past

an old public art space I worked in, I made the mural first it’s called ‘creator’ and the painting on the lower left was a live art piece called ‘the helaer’ which I worked on over a few months, it was a great room, lovely people and the experience remains a deep part of my being.

Let’s talk about peace. Well it seems there can be no peace without there also being noise, navigating through this conundrum with paint brush on hand has done wonders for my soul. I am by no means a conventional artist, and money and fame has never been the driving force, it’s nice when it comes but it is not reliable and certainly does not create the work. I go to a special place when I paint, there is layers of life to get through before I can find that flow and rhythm, once there it is a dream, smooth, calm, quiet, silence yet loud as spirit roars.

hälts minimotion

‘SLO skull’ 🎥 new minimotion with soundscape, ‘mind’s wasteland’ featuring a studio sesshin today on my skull painting WIP along with some intermittent cuts to timelapse of an incredible cloud formation and colour show late one afternoon courtesy mother earth
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drawing has always been a passion of mine, especially in coffee shops amidst a fresh tasty hot cup of coffee

‘dalibasquiat’ a stencil piece I put on my shed in my backyard, he keeps an eye on things

my ‘SLO skull’ WIP in the studio with a background image of a still frame from my minimotion

First order of business is haltsART and Mahaloness have partnered up with RageOn! to make a variety of positively vibrant wearable art and many other products for the everyday. If you love haltsART and are a fan of the Mahaloness than perhaps this may interest you. I will be posting new designs regularly. here is a few options available now.

Now that the business is out of the way lets celebrate my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary, for without them halts and Mahaloness would not exist, and to with the way things are today, this is a rare event indeed. So without further adieu my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary commemorative video by halts

fotoMahaloness

I have been in BC once again exploring the surroundings, getting inspired, doing some healing work, doing some garden work, hanging out with eagles, bear spotting, and working on the constitution (that is doing some restoration to the fundamental well being of this here author). I have seen my world turned upside down, and felt it was a good time to do some reflection and self work, and what better place to do that than BC, Canada, a place I have been blessed to spend half my existence in, and hopefully for many years to come.

finding peace while reflecting during the Golden hour

BC dat dusk medicine

eagle medicine. foto: BC, Canada explorations and my friend the bald eagle do what it does best.

There was a time when all of my attention was put into my art. I was literally living, eating, breathing art. I had a such a sense of urgency and I have come to learn that my creative verve was quite normal for that stage of my development. When I began painting I had little knowledge of the discipline, or the materials. I was anti gallery, anti establishment. I had a tonne of talent, albeit undisciplined, and was very ambitious. Now some ten years later I have mellowed out on that a little bit, the urgency that drove me to create at a feverish pace morphed into a meditative state, painting calmly and expressing a bigger picture than just my own two cents. I have come to realize that although the world seems fast, nothing really does happen overnight, and when it comes to discipline, that never really goes away. I recommend you study painters, living and otherwise, and similar to a writer rewriting his favourite novel, explore the language, and with stamina and some gumption, find your own voice, made solid by a foundation of mentors, teachers and wisdom. Painting for painting’s sake is healing to the practitioner, if you are interested in making art that speaks to the human spirit, or evokes emotion from a viewer, as I am, than be prepared to put in the work, be prepared for rejection, be prepared for the chance of doubt, and keep a good head space as best you can throughout and you will see your work come into a wonderful fruition.